Fire Update

Groundbreaking Ceremony

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:29:45 +0000

Seats were overflowing on Sunday, November 13th as we celebrated together during the Groundbreaking Ceremony, held four years after our building was lost in the fire. The process has been a long one and it's not over yet, but we trust in the Lord's providence and look forward to continuing the adventure.

General Contractor Selection Process

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 20:20:52 +0000

MPC is currently in the stages of hiring a contractor for the rebuild project. The documents provided below show that we are engaging in a fair, open and thoughtful hiring process.

Selection Process for General Contractor Construction Services.pdf

Contractors Statement of Qualifications- Questionnaire.pdf

Building Plans Update

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 20:38:24 +0000

Please join us on October 10th as we vote to endorse the development plan as presented by Domus Studio on September 26th. This plan has been recommended by the BRC committee and unanimously accepted by members of Session. The development will be constructed in phases to match available funding and to permit continuous on-site worship facilities.

September 2010 Update

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 18:37:51 +0000

We are in the final stages of our settlement with our insurance company. With this new information in hand, the BRC has a meeting scheduled with Session on Wednesday, September 8, at 7:00pm to discuss details of the building phasing options we face. We feel confident that God has led us in a direction that offers options with which we can all feel comfortable.

We also will be having a congregational meeting on Sunday, September 26, during which we will share our options for phasing. We will look to you, our congregation, to give us your opinions on the phasing options you prefer. We hope you will join us for this exciting step in our rebuilding process, as we need your continued support and prayers!

Fire Recovery Video

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:02:33 +0000

If you missed the video shown on Sunday morning, check it out here! This video documents the journey we've been on for the last two years.

Malibu Presbyterian Returns Home Refined

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:08:54 +0000

First services to be held Sunday, November 8th, 2009 at 9:30am and 11:11am.

A church is not a building. And members of Malibu Presbyterian understand that idea perhaps better than most. After losing their building to the 2007 Malibu wildfires, the church found a growing identity in their relationships and in embracing the community and outreach as a way of being a church without a home.

This Sunday, Malibu Presbyterian returns home, but not without a greater sense of direction and focus, something the adversity of loss and hardship brought from out of smoldering ashes. "The fire has resulted in a miracle!" member Michael Guillen recently shared. "It is a truism of human history that out of great hardship comes greatness - witness the adversity that led to the founding of our country. The exile that Malibu Pres has endured for the past two years has brought our congregation closer to God, to one another, and to our community. Our homecoming might be the end of our exile, but it is only the beginning of our renewed sense of mission."

Rather than focusing on its loss, the church immediately focused on others. Three weeks after losing their own building, members built homes in Baja, Mexico for impoverished families. Two months after the fire, members of Malibu Pres came alongside devastated home-owners in the second 2007 fire in Latigo and Corral Canyons, praying with them as they measured the extent of their own loss to fire.

The church not only embraced the community, but the community embraced the church.

For the last two years, Malibu Presbyterian became more integrated into the community. They held weekly services at Webster Elementary, Dads danced with their daughters at the annual Father-Daughter Valentine Dance at the Malibu Inn and Bible studies met in private homes. The Malibu Pres Preschool was graciously offered a home at the Malibu Jewish Center for eight months until a temporary preschool could be built. Cindy Ludwig, Director of the Preschool reflects, "We had no place and needed classrooms for 85 wonderful children, and we were welcomed in as part of the family. What a beautiful picture of a community that cares for another."

While the church prepares to return to the easily identifiable white tent on the hill, the church will celebrate 60 years of service and life with new-found insight into what it means to be a people of God.

As anyone who has been touched by adversity knows, the church is not the same as it was two years ago.

They are a refined-by-fire community. "We all experience pain, hardship and loss in this life," says Senior Pastor Greg Hughes. "...but in every trial there is an opportunity, a blessing to seize. Just as fire refines gold and strengthens metal, so too has our church family been enriched by the loss of our buildings. Athletes are heard to say, 'No pain, no gain.' I'd like to say it a little differently for Malibu Pres, 'Burned down, but fired up!' We could have fractured under the strain and stress of our loss, but it brought our congregation together with greater purpose and resolve. Our love for one another has increased and our commitment has grown to leave a lasting legacy, as the Christmas carol goes, of 'peace on earth and goodwill towards men.' We are a resurrection people, like Christ, we can't stay down."

"Now that we are 'going home,' the real challenge begins," member Michael Guillen warned. "We must not become comfortable and grow apathetic; not allow materialism to pass for meaning; but instead, we must always remember that the focus of the Gospel is on people, not on bricks and mortar."

Pastor Greg concludes, "We have a new base camp. And we pray it will not only glorify God but will continue to serve our families and our wonderful community. It's only a means to an end. We are a blessed people. We are a thankful people. And we couldn't be more excited."

In Honor of Our Move Back Home...

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:30:11 +0000

We are reposting the REFINED video produced by Tim Jones to honor the 2 year mark of the fire, and to celebrate the progress we have made & our upcoming return back to our original location.

Malibu Pres Refined. from MPC on Vimeo.

October Sprung Slideshow

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:30:17 +0000

August Update

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:16:41 +0000

The construction is really coming along great! The concrete has been poured, and the new office modulars are currently being installed. Interior decoration is also underway...Keep checking out the web for the latest information!

July Update

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:26:41 +0000

Check out the latest slideshow of the building's progress!

New Temporary Structure Begins Construction

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:20:57 +0000

This week, construction officially began on the temporary structure. The building, known as a "Sprung Structure" for the company that constructs them, is a quickly assembled, permanent-grade structure capable of housing the church on our own campus while funds are raised for a new sanctuary.

Construction is anticipated to last 1 to 2 months. Check back here for more updates.

February Update

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 08:12:34 +0000

From the Building Resurrection Committee (BRC)

"These are the glory days." Earlier this month, Pastor Greg Hughes spoke those words and gave us a new perspective on challenging times in our lives. Isn't it during times of struggle that we often discover how strong we are, how good God is, and how sufficient His grace is to sustain us?

In that light, we can look upon these days as the glory days of Malibu Presbyterian Church. True, our plans for the temporary church and the new church have not gone according to schedule, but perhaps it's because God is refining those plans. The church staff, Building Resurrection Committee, Building & Grounds Committee, Burdge & Associates, Klein Construction, Dave Stowell, Chris Laubach, Dominy & Associates, Daly America, and many others have been hard at work to make the most out of this incredible opportunity to construct a new church building.

Here are a few developments over the last few months:

We submitted a Pre-Application using the chosen design concept from Dominy & Associates, and the City of Malibu responded with a list of significant issues regarding the design, including the following:

The City of Malibu did not allow our proposed parking structure to be counted as a basement. This means that the proposed building and parking structure exceeded the City height limit of two stories for our church; instead, they viewed the design as having four levels.

The City wanted Malibu Presbyterian Church to conduct a traffic study, which would have cost a lot of time and money.

The City challenged our proposed setbacks (space between buildings and the road), which may have required design changes.

Due to the pushback from the City of Malibu, the increasingly challenging environment for fundraising, and the length of time required for construction, the BRC recommends that we no longer pursue the original Dominy & Associates design. Instead, we have requested that Dominy & Associates work on developing a like-for-like design. This means that we can build a new church with a new design, but it can only be up to 10% larger than the footprint of the original church building. We can address many of the functional problems that were inherent in the old design, but this means that we must reduce our proposed enhanced programming to fit within these new size constraints.

Our next steps:

Review the program and new conceptual design for a like-for-like structure.
Obtain cost estimates.
Prepare a new Pre-Application for submission to the City of Malibu.

Please feel free to speak with any of the BRC committee members if you have any questions regarding the latest updates. While we have encountered many obstacles that have caused us to adjust our plans, we ask you to join us in prayer as we seek to discern God's will. Please pray for wisdom for all those who are working on behalf of Malibu Presbyterian Church to move forward with the temporary church and the new church design. Let's also take time to remember God's goodness, faithfulness, and provision during these glory days of our church.

"Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain." Psalm 127:1

Foundation is Layed

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 02:11:58 +0000

Construction of the temporary structure formally began this week, as the foundation was layed for the new retaining wall.

The Day After

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:51:12 +0000

One year after the fire that destroyed our church building, we are republishing the first blog entry that was posted the day after the fire. We continue to be thankful for all of the comments and support that poured in that day.

Republished From October 22, 2007

Results of the Dominy Survey

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 02:18:26 +0000

A huge thank you to those of you who came to the "meet the architect" evening and participated in our Church design workshop. We had a great representation of our Church, with over 100 people in attendance which is almost one third of our members!

The results were very informative and gave us insight as to the direction we need to take in order to arrive at our final Church design. As always, BRC committee members are available to talk to before or after Sunday services. In addition, please send us your thoughts through the church website at www.malibupres.org, click on "BRC Update," scroll to the bottom and type your questions or comments. Or you may e-mail the committee directly at building@malibupres.org.

Download the results (.pdf)